…..and not forgetting Silhouette!
SILHOUETTE DOOR SUITE The Silhouette system continues to be so popular and profitable for many of our customers that we are delighted to announce the launch of a complete new door system suite. We invested lots of time and money into updating the Contour door to improve it without losing any of the existing benefits. We don't believe in "New is Best" for the sake of it unless the benefits of any new developments really are benefits. As a result, Silhouette customers can look forward to a door suite that maintains the same dimensions (65mm front to back) with the traditional Contour 3mm wall thickness. In addition, we have made big leaps forward in terms of the design and aesthetics of the door. Instead of the square look, the new door suite is now chamfered with the same detail as the attractive Silhouette window system. With a programme to set up new fabricator tooling in progress, initial feedback is excellent. We've managed to retain the existing benefits of the Contour door while going one better in terms of design and look.
Synseal - Committed to Sustainable Development
Congratulations to Bob Parsons for achieving the
"Best Salesperson of the Quarter" award for the second consecutive quarter. The Shield trophy is awarded to the salesperson who performs best in various areas of business from different products sold to new business gained. Bob was delighted to receive the award for a second time: "I was motivated and excited by the challenge, and it’s fantastic to receive the trophy in recognition of my own personal achievements. The award is a great way to recognise the sales team efforts, and thank us for all our hard work."
BIG STORY BIG STAND BIG SHOW. Synseal has not exhibited at Glassex for two years. However, with the launch of our conservatory system, we believe we have one of the biggest stories to tell that the industry has ever heard. That's why we have booked the biggest stand ever taken by a profile or conservatory supplier. If you haven’t seen this innovative, next generation product by March, take the opportunity to visit our stand at the show.
Paramount Windows for Dave Lee Travis Paramount provides quality windows and conservatories to the Mansfield area from 10,000sq ft of premises. Les Boylington is the owner of the company, "Having worked in the window industry for fourteen years, I
decided that I could go it alone and started trading as Paramount four years ago." Ninety per cent of the company’s income comes from the retail sector and the other 10% from the trade. Across both sectors Paramount has adapted to the growing trend of conservatories, with approximately a third of their current orders consisting of the popular new housing extension. Synseal Extrusions Ltd supply Paramount with profile for all their products and have done for about five years. "Our previous supplier let us down time after time," explains Les, "so we had to look elsewhere. To provide the efficient service that we are so proud of, we need a supplier that delivers quality profile in good condition
and on time. Synseal have proved extremely reliable in all areas." The Synseal profile was used by Paramount to supply a very special customer recently. The company was recommended to Dave Lee Travis when he wanted new windows and doors throughout his house. "We provided twenty-eight windows and doors altogether and he was so pleased with the quality of the product and our service he wrote us a letter commending us on our good work. We were thrilled."
Doortech and Synseal Go Commercial Doortech Ltd is a relatively new company on the composite door scene, having been established by partners DairHendry and Adrian Whiles just three years ago. With the emphasis on maintaining quality forDoortech, Synseal Shield System has been their chosen supplierforthe full three years they have been in operation. "Having worked for a number of systems companies before setting up Doortech, I know betterthan most the advantages and disadvantages of all of them. The Synseal Shield System was without a doubt the best system on the market, and fortunately for us, have maintained their quality profile and service, allowing us to concentrate on who we supply rather than who is supplying us." Quickly establishing the company’s name in the commercial and domestic markets, Dair is enthusiastic about working with Synseal to further expand into the commercial market; "This step forward is an exciting opportunity for Doortech and Synseal alike. It is a massive section of the market to be explored and I believe we have the winning formula to make a real impact."
Dair explains why their product is of a high enough standard to be used by local authorities and housing associations after just three years in the industry. "Our composite doors consist of laminated and finger-jointed hardwood subframes ensuring they do not warp or twist. They are 50mm thick, making them more substantial than the standard 44mm thickness and ensuring a perfect fit with the Shield system mainframe which has a 56mm rebate."
All of Doortech’s doors are made to fit, according to the sector for which they are being manufactured. "For local authorities and housing associations each door is made to the individual clients’specifications, reference styles of doors and hardware. I’m proud to say our door has achieved the PAS23, PAS24, ISO9002 and Secured by Design accreditations." Almost 100% of Doortech’s business is in composite doors. The remaining small percentage is in the side screens they often provide to go alongside their doors.
The relationship between Doortech and Synseal is proven to have worked in the past, as the company’s only form of lead generation is recommendations from satisfied customers and networking in the industry. "Recommendations are all we need at Doortech because our work speaks for itself. Even though we are only just beginning to embark on the commercial sector now, we have already won a contract with local authorities and housing groups worth £1million and are expecting that figure to grow to give us a turnover of nearer £1.5million this year."
BOOM TIME
Sales & Marketing Director Nick Dutton comments :
CONTINUES FOR SYNSEAL CUSTOMERS! Shield has been a phenomenal success as we reported in the last newsletter, and following analysis of our second quarter customer sales figures, we’re delighted to announce that the growth recorded in the first quarter of the year has continued into the second. We are firm believers in measuring our own success by how well our fabricators are doing with our system. If the benefits of our products bring in extra
business for our customers then we know we are doing our job properly. And it appears that we are doing just this as the second quarter 2001 results show.
Thank you for your business and your support. "We look forward to providing you with even more innovative ideas and products in 2002 to give you an even sharper edge over your competitors.
"2001 has been a fantastic year for Synseal, and as you can see opposite, it’s been fantastic for most of our customers as well.
To recap, excluding new customers for the sake of this comparison, and looking at those 277 fabricators who were customers in the first quarter of 2000 and in the first three months of 2001, the picture was clear. These 277 customers’purchases from Synseal increased 19% in the period, performance that out ran the rest of the market. The news for the second quarter of 2001 was even better for our fabricators. Again excluding new customers - of which there were 80
"So have a fantastic Christmas break and a good rest. With the new opportunities the Conservatory System will open up to you, you’ll need it!"
more in Q2 2001 than Q2 2000 compared with the same qtr twelve months ago, they spent 19.5% more .
Nick Dutton comments: “I’d love to hear from any fabricator not achieving this level of yearon-year growth. Our customers are experiencing growth that is outstripping the market. You could too”.
S Y N S E A L EXTRUSIONS LIMITED, COMMON ROAD, HUTHWAITE, NOTTS. NG17 2JL
TEL: email:
(01623) 443200
FAX:
nickdutton@synseal.com
(01623) 550243 www. s y n s e a l . c o m
ISSUE NO.3 Autumn/Winter 2001
Sustainable Development We don’t just measure our success on how well our customers are doing, but also by the level of sustainable development we are achieving all along the supplier chain. For us, sustainable development means instantly delivering and improving on enhancements that reach beyond our industry into environment and society in general.
THE SYNSEAL TIMES MULTI-MILLION EXPANSION PROGRAMME UNDERPINS CUSTOMER GROWTH TOO! Synseal ‘s phenomenal growth over the last two years has been well documented recently. New products like the Shield Conservatory System, new customers and 19.5% more sales to existing customers in the first half of 2001 compared with the first half of 2000, have underpinned the company’s multi-million expansion programme.
Customers naturally play a key role in these aims. That’s why we’re interested in getting your feedback on for example the kind of steps you are taking towards environmentally positive issues - for example do you recycle?
If you feel strongly about any such issues please call Helen Ahern at Michael Rigby Associates on 01453 521 621.
Several customers have asked us for extra copies of the first issue of The Synseal Times to hand out to their sales team, and place in their showrooms. If you'd like to get extra copies of the newsletter to use in this way, call Phil Else on 01623 443 200
The white line shows the perimeter of the previous factory, whilst the red line shows the size of the extended factory
Sales and Marketing Director, Nick Dutton, comments: “Since the launch of the 70mm Shield system in 1999 we’ve experienced a growth rate of more than double, 118% to be exact. Earlier this year it was reported that more PVC-U fabricators in Great Britain now use Synseal systems than any other system, according to Windowbase, the authoritative independent database of
fabricators and installers used by most of the industry. This is not the only time independent research has put Synseal out on top. At the beginning of 2001, our patio door kit was rated higher than any other brand covered in research carried out by industry specialists, Michael Rigby Associates, into fabricators’ views of suppliers. “In order to maintain the high levels of service, quality and innovation that existing customers enjoy and new customers expect, we needed to boost our manufacturing, warehouse and distribution infrastructure. Hence our decision to extend our Sutton-inAshfield site from 74,000 ft2 to 281,000 ft 2 expanding over 24 acres. “The new factory allows us to stay ahead of the growth of the 70mm Shield window system and gives us room to grow our Shield conservatory system too,” comments Nick. “This in turn will allow our customers to grow too. The factory has been fully operational since mid September ensuring a smooth launch for the conservatory system, with no disruption to the quality or service that make Synseal stand out from their competitors.”
King of the Road: Synseal fleet clocks up 1.8 million miles a year! Vince Irving, Logistical Director comments: “With more fabricators in Great Britain using Synseal than any other system, we need to ensure every delivery is on time and complete. To achieve this we normally have seventeen trucks on the road at any one time, clocking up around 35,000 miles a week, getting on for 2 million miles a year. Synseal’s commitment to passing on cost savings to our customers by being better at what we do, is also reflected in our logistics. It is vital that our distribution network operates smoothly and efficiently, with no extra unnecessary miles added onto our customers’ bills.”
Issue Conservatory Update
Celebrity Windows
FEATURE SHIELD Branded Hardware
It wasn’t simply the warehousing and manufacturing facilities that needed to expand for Synseal to stay ahead of such rapid growth. Britain’s Number One system company also needed to add to its fleet of trucks to deliver increasing numbers of products to an increasing customer base. This newsletter was printed on material from a sustainable forest.
In This
Silhouette Door Suite New Extrusion Lines
New Ovolo Bead
Doortech
And the investment does not stop there! In order to meet (and exceed) demand for new products in our range, from existing and new customers of our system, we have recently invested £600,000 in three new extrusion lines. The Krauss Maffei machines installed in October bring the total of our extrusion lines to twenty-one.
Production Made e-Z-er!
CONSERVATORY
UPDATE....... We have now erected and glazed complete conservatories for final testing before launch. Having done all the individual tests, with all components passing with flying colours, we are now testing complete conservatories to destruction - rather like new car crash tests. In these we compare the performance limits of our conservatories for strength and water fastness, as well as testing for ease of fabrication and installation, alongside those from other manufacturers. We aim to be at least as good as others, although we expect ours to outperform other leading brands by some way. Fabrication, installation, and structural guides plus a stunning range of promotional materials are near completion. A price schedule will be published shortly. In the meantime your sales manager can give you an idea of indicative costs to help you plan your sales campaigns. Finally, as announced in Issue 2 of the Synseal Times, Synseal will only sell the conservatory system (in bar length or fabricated roofs) to fabricators of Synseal profile. Only Synseal profile customers will have the benefit of these prices, or the product. We believe the Shield Conservatory System is a milestone in the evolution of the conservatory industry. We think you will find it’s a knock out that will boost your sales and enhance your ability to compete in the growing conservatory market.
We pride ourselves on listening to our customers, and that’s exactly why we invested time and money on the development of our intermediate Z frame. As with all of our product development, our key focus is on passing on time and cost saving benefits to customers thus increasing their efficiency. The new Z section allows doors with flag windows to be produced as one complete unit, hence reducing production time and increasing efficiency. To compliment the frame we have also introduced steel reinforcing for extra strength. The new Z section is available in all of our normal colours; white, mahogany, light oak and cherry wood.
BEST BY TEST Testing conservatories to complete destruction takes some doing! Especially when they are Shield Conservatories as recent tests have proven. We are confident that our customers won’t need to subject their Shield conservatories to such extremes but to ensure what you’re buying really is the best on the market here’s a couple of tests ourconservatories have passed with flying colours.
★ A two tonne load stood on the lightweight bar overnight. The next morning the roof still didn’t leak when water-tested.
★ The unique frame to eaves clip had to stay in place in the outerframe with 99 kilograms (16 stone) hanging from it. Ours managed to stay in place with up to 123 kilograms hanging from it.
★ Synseal like to get things right first time and whenever possible better than just right, as the results to our tests show.
For those of you who missed the latest in the Glass Age series of articles “Nick’s in the Chair”, here’s another chance to see Synseal’s Sales and Marketing Director make the case for innovation.
NICK’S IN THE CHAIR DON’T CONFUSE INNOVATION WITH INVENTION, SAYS NICK
INNOVATION IS THE BEST FORM OF ATTACK In the third of a series of articles from Synseal’s Sales & Marketing Director Nick Dutton, he argues that the best way to dominate your market is through innovation.
You would think at the start of the twenty first century that we’d be used to change. Markets seem to be evolving faster, moving from youth to maturity in a few short years. New products make old ones obsolete. New markets open up, attract attention, slow down and grow stale. New companies enter the market, bringing new ideas and different ways of looking at things. New competitors challenge the status quo. Time and again we see market leaders toppled or left marooned as nimbler competitors outflank them. We wonder why those leaders didn’t react in good time to the threat? Why they clung on to older technology and yesterday’s products? These are facts of life, we expect change, you say. However the evidence suggests that most managers who enjoy success in their business assume that tomorrow will be more or less like today. That significant change is unlikely, is unpredictable, and in any case will come slowly. They fear they have more to lose than to gain from change, so why alter a winning formula? Why fix what isn’ t broke? These managers focus their efforts on making their operations ever more cost effective. And while valuing innovation they believe it is risky, more risky than defending their present business. Many believe in the old adage ‘let the pioneers pay’, hoping to learn from their mistakes and launch improved copies of their competitors’ innovations when the moment is right. But as risky as innovation is, successful firms know that not innovating is riskier.
Too little, too late The outside world is changing regardless of what we do. It brings new challenges for our customers and their needs change. Unless their suppliers come up with the new product and service solutions that help them succeed they will look elsewhere. The catch is if you wait until you read glass age/October 2001
about these changes along with everyone else you may fall behind. Your solutions could be too little, too late to save your bacon.
3. A new product may offer benefits that are unique and important but if competitors can quickly copy it the market opportunity will be limited. Patents sometimes provide a barrier to competition, but speed to market and brand building usually provide the most effective means of sustaining the value of innovation.
It’s a tall order, but we all need to look ahead, get to know the market and anticipate the shifts, the new needs, and come up with new solutions just in time.
4. The company must be able to market it. This includes designing a reliable and effective product, making it at a price that customers can afford, and setting up an effective mechanism to deliver and support it.
Meaning of innovation A starting point is to think about innovation as developing and delivering products or services that offer benefits which customers perceive as superior. Opportunities for innovation are created by environmental changes that generate new customer needs or make possible better solutions to current needs.
Nick Dutton, Synseal’s Sales and Marketing Director
Invention is different from innovation. Many inventions fail to build markets. An invention is a new product; an innovation is a new benefit. Customers do not want new products; they want solutions that offer new and superior benefits. To be a successful innovation, a new product must meet four criteria: 1. Customers must see the new product or service as important. Technical wizardry doesn’t necessarily translate into benefits. 2. The benefits must be seen to be unique. If customers believe that current offers provide the same advantages the new one will not be valued.
“EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MOST MANAGERS ASSUME THAT TOMORROW WILL BE MORE OR LESS LIKE TODAY”
Many businesses introduce new products that fail on one or more of these criteria. Inventors obsessed by technical novelty are particularly prone to undervalue these customer benefits. By the same criteria innovations do not have to be completely new. Many successful ones are adaptations or improvements to existing products. In some there is a high technical content. In others the main focus is commercial. Innovation drives growth At Synseal we take innovation seriously. It drives our growth and the growth of our customers who also value the benefits of our innovations. We could single out five in particular. Silhouette was the first and only successful thin walled window system on the market. Our Caravan window profile system, Lo-line co-ex glazing beads and an off the shelf web site facility also meet the innovator’s criteria. Our Shield conservatory system is another. Instead of a generic ‘conservatory roof on windows’system our customers asked for a more attractive, complete conservatory system where the roof matched the walls in colour and design. We came up with one that’s also faster, simpler and more cost effective to make and install, and one that avoids price wars with identical roofs from conservatory roof specialists.
No More Black...No More Black...No More Black... Following the resounding success of the ‘no gasket sightline’theory applied to the Shield Scotia bead just a short while ago, our latest introduction sees the same development applied to the new glazing bead. Customers were so pleased with this revolutionary idea, it made sense to begin applying it to more of our products. Used in conjunction with the lo-line fir-tree gasket, Synseal customers can now virtually eliminate the black gasket lines on both faces of the window. This provides fabricators with an advantage in the market, without requiring any extra tooling to produce it. Simple but effective!
SYNSEAL PV C - U P R O F I L E S YS T E MS FO R QU A L I TY WI N D OW S & DOORS
NEW Another Synseal First YEAR, NEW OVOLO
Responding to the demand for supplying clearly differentiated products in the market place we are now in a position to supply Shield Branded Hardware on the most popular products supplied by our one-stop-hardwareshop. Customers purchases of Avocet hardware from Synseal have soared in the last few months to such an extent that Avocet have agreed to replace the Avocet logo with Shield on our most popular products.
The New Year sees the launch of Synseal’s new convex ovolo bead. The new bead will incorporate the ‘lo-line’ co- extruded glazing gasket already featured on the 28mm flat bead, thus eliminating unsightly black gasket lines. This latest addition to Synseal’s already impressive portfolio is offered as an alternative to the existing concave scotia bead.
"Striking this deal with Avocet on behalf of our customers is superb news," comments Nick Dutton. "Shield customers can now supply complete window and door systems under the same brand umbrella. The benefits are clear for us all, but particularly for companies selling into the home, where we expect our consistently branded, complete systems to steal a march on others using generic hardware. As firm believers in branding, we've already passed on the benefits of a strong brand identity to customers in the form of Shield wrapped profile, Shield brochures and bags. Branded hardware is a logical and powerful addition." The first Shield branded hardware are the espagnollette rods, now available. These will be followed by handles, friction stays and flag hinges. Call Nick Dutton for further information.
BS7413 KM 30983
FM 31451
"The ovolo bead has been developed in response to popular customer request," comments Nick Dutton, "and once again we are delighted to have fulfilled our customer needs."
WORDSEARCH D Q S I L H O U E T T E S E
L D R H N R X F A C T O R Y
E U P X L I C Z S B O B N R
I E A I U Y B A G E C H E O
H M R N Q A V K I N G S D T
S I A N W S A O K T E S T A
A T M O E D B S T U V E Z V
N M O V O L O D T O C A G R
T O U A T F N F Y U B T E E
R O N T C G M G U I N E O S
O B T I D E X P A N S I O N
P O J O F H L H I S G M V O
H G R N G J K J K W F K D C
Y H O K H C E T R O O D F S
Can you find these 14 words relating to this edition of the Synseal Times, hidden in the grid above? Conservatory Silhouette King Doortech Boom Time
Factory Innovation Shield Paramount Bob
Ovolo Expansion Test Trophy
The words may read vertically, horizontally or diagonally, backwards or forwards.
BS7950/7413 KM 41324
SYNSEAL EXTRUSIONS LIMITED, COMMON ROAD, H U T H WAITE, S U T TO N - I N - A S H F I E L D , NOTTS. NG17 2JL
TEL: (01623) 443200 FAX: (01623) 550243 email: nickdutton@synseal.com
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